Candle residue dispenser



Nov. 14, 1950 F. CIANO CANDLE RESIDUE DISPENSER Filed March 17, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY llll! W 5 BY 1 ,120 4. mm

B E m 7 w W Z w 4 I M 2 4 El W Nov. 14, 1950 F. CIANO CANDLE RESIDUE DISPENSER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 1'7, 1949 INVENTOR /o re): ce a'azza ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 14, 1950 Florence Ciano, St. Albans, N. Y.

Application March 17, 1949, Serial No. 81,899

2 Claims.

This invention is directed to novel and improved holders or supports for votive candelabra and other supports and to devices affording a ready means for disposition of wax residue supporting wick metal base therefrom.

Votive candelabra and candlestands have found extensive use in the Catholic and other churches. A variety of different means have been employed in connection therewith for removing the residual wax and wick and metal base after each of the candles has burned out. Ordinarily the residual material present in the bottom of a cup-shaped candle holder has been removed by scraping and digging the material therefrom, sometimes causing breakage of the candle holder and, at best, being a difficult and tedious chore. All of the proposed means have been found wanting for one reason or another and this problem had not been satisfactorily solved. In the course of experimentation with this problemjthis invention was made to provide a satisfactory solution. 'The novel invention may be readily manufactured, is rugged and may be easily manipulated for 'the' purposes intended.

A description of the invention follows in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein; J

Fig.1 is an illustrative embodiment of a votivelight'candle stand embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is across-sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, but with one of the holders omitted.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a part of the stand shown in Fig. 1 and has certain parts broken away to show some of the elements therebelow. Fig: 4'is a fore-shortened cross-sectional View taken on line -4-4' of Fig. 2 andillustrates the intermediate member in one extremeposition.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to Fig. 4 and illustrates the intermediate member in another extreme position. i v

G'is' across-sectional View showing another example of the invention.

As shown in Fig. 1, there are a plurality of supporting legs I on which is mounted an elongated hollow container I2 whose upper periphery is trimmed at IS. The container l2 has a bottom M secured to legs I l. The bottom M has a front plate l5 and a rear plate I6 integral therewith and end cover plates l1 and I8 demountably connected thereto. Supported by the bottom I4 is a removable catch pan l9.

According to this invention, the container l2 may have my novel device coupled therewith. The novel device comprises a plurality of elon-.

gated plates 20, 2| and 22 which are preferably substantially flat and composed of metal and arranged fiatwis e one on top of the other. The top plate 20'has a'plurality of in-file spaced openings 23 through the thickness thereof for receiving glass or the like holders 24 for votive-light candles 25. If desired, the upper face of the top plate 20 may have a ring 23 welded or in any other.

manner secured thereto. This ring 26, however, may be entirely omitted.

Secured to the top plate 20 is the bottom plate 22 having elongatedsides 28, with one of thesides having a portion thereof cut-away at one end thereof. The bottom plate 22 has a plurality of in-file spaced openings 29 through the thickness thereof, The openings 29 are of a diameter at least equal to and preferably greater than the corresponding dimension of the openings 23, with each opening 23 disposed approximately in alignment with the opening 29 located therebelow.

Slideably mounted in the elongated space between the top plate 20 and the bottom plate 22 is the intermediate plate 2| whose upper face may be' roughened. The slideable plate 2| makes a loose sliding fit with upper and lower plates 29 and 22,

and the sides of the plate 2| make aloose sliding fit with the sides 28. The intermediate plate 2| also" has a plurality of in-file openings 3|]. The diameter of each opening 30 is at least as great as and preferably somewhat greater than openings 23 and no greater than and preferably somewhat less than openings 29.

The openings 30 are equi-distant from each other and are so arranged that when the plate 2| is in oneposition, the openings 23, 29 and 30 are in center-alignment" as shown in Fig. 5 and when in another position are completely covered by plates 29 and 2|, as shown in Fig. 4 because the distance between any two adjacent openings 2301" two adjacent openings 29 is greater than the diameter of openings 30. has depending stops 3| and 32 secured to the ends thereof for limiting the travel of the slideable member 2|. The plate 2| may be slid to the position shown in Fig. 4 where the openings 23, 39 and 29 are out of alignment or may be slid to its other extreme position against stop 32 to dispose therethrough openings 23, 30 and 29 in central alignment. This may be done in any convenient and desired manner. For this purpose, there may be provided a rack 33 at the side of one end of ,the plate 2| and extendin outwardly therefrom beyond the bottom plate 22.

Rotatably secured to the top plate 20 and dep ndi g herefrom is a short stud shaft 34 having The top plate2|l a worm 35 keyed to one end thereof and also having a gear 36 keyed thereto meshing with rack 33. An elongated drive shaft 3'! is mounted in a bearing 38 dependingly anchored to the bottom plate 22 and has a gear 39 meshing with the worm 35. This assembly may be mounted on the container I2 with the end of the shaft 3! extending through the side 18 and in bearing 41 supported thereby. The outer end of shaft 3! is squared to accommodate an actuating handle to rotate the shaft.

These assemblies may be arranged one above the other in a stepped arrangement as shown in Fig. 1, and when so arranged, plates 20 may be provided with a riser plate 45 when required to effect the particular assembly as shown in Fig. 1.

In practice after the plurality of novel combinations are arranged in the desired fashion, open ended holders 24, generally of glass, for votive lights have their lower ends inserted in the open ings '23 and rest upon and are supported by the upper face of the intermediate plate 2!. Votive candles 25 are inserted in holders 24 and their lower faces also are normally in contact with the upper face of the plate 2=l and rest upon and aresupported thereby. After a row of candles 25 burn out, there is usually a. deposit of residual wax and burned out wick 50 and also the wick supporting metal base remaining in each holder 24. Then the detachable handle is coupled with the shaft 31 which is rotated to drive gear 39, which in turn drives worm '35, driving shaft 34, in turn rotating gear 36 to drive rack 36 to slide the plate 21 lengthwise between stationary plates 20 .and .22 until one end thereof strikes .stop 32 and the openings 23, 30 and 29 are in central alignment.

In the course of sliding the upper face of the element 2| friotionally engages the residue or deposit 58 and loosens and sometimes breaks it so that when the openings 213, so and 29 are in alignment, the deposit '51] drops through the openings into the removable pan [9. Then the handle is turned in the opposite direction to slide the element 21 to the position shown in Fig. 1 and against the stop 3|. Fresh votive-light candles 25 are now inserted into each of the holders 24 from "which the residue has been so easily removed. In this manner the whole line of holders '24 in any single tier are scraped clean, thus avoiding the usually practiced method of digging out and scraping each individual holder with the inherent dangers of breaking the glass holders and cutting ones hands, which was the general method of cleaning required for cleaning the holders of the devices heretofore commonly employed for supporting votive-light candles and holder therefor.

If desired, the bottom plate may have an elongated slot therein located below each opening 30 and whose width is greater than the diameter of the openings '30 along substantially the entire length thereof; or, there may be employed the construction shown in Fig. 6, in which there is no plate 22 as such. In that embodiment, the top plate 20 has elongated sides 40 depending therefrom and integral therewith and terminating in inwardly extending narrow flanges 4| for supporting the slideable plate 2|.

While this invention has been described in detail, it is not to be limited thereby, because it is subject to various changes and modifications.

I claim:

l. A votive-light candlestand comprising a support, a normally top plate and a normally lower plate arranged flatwise adjacent each other and carried by said support, said normally top plate having a plurality of openings therethrough for accommodating open-ended candle holders, said normally lower plate having a plurality of openings therethrough spaced from each other a distance greater than the diameter of the openings in said upper plate, said lower plate being nor- .mally disposed so that the said openings in said top plate are located between said openings in said lower plate to close said openings in said upper plate, said lower plate being slidable relative to said top plate to dispose the openings in said lower plate in approximate alignment with the openings in said top plate for the passage of candle residue and wick supporter through said approximately aligned openings.

2. A votive-light candlestand comprising a support, a hollow container on said support, a pair of stationa y plates secured to each other and having openings therethrough, said plates covering said container, the openings in the normally upper one of said stationary plates for accommodating open-ended candle holders, the openings in the normally lower one of said .stationary plate being below those of .said upper one, and a slideable plate located between said stationary plates and having openings therethrough of a size approximating that of the openings in said stationary plates, said slidable plate nor? mally having portions disposed between adjacent openings of said upper and lower plates and being slidable to dispose its openings in approximate alignment with adjacent openings in said upper and lower plates for the passage of candle residue and wick holder through said openings.

FLORENCE CIANO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the Ffilfi of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 245,578 Straszer Aug. 9, 1881 1,636,994 Greenan July 26, 1927 FOREIGN PATENTS 'Number Country Date 1,914 Great Britain 1883 

